


Black and Red

by Lauriekits



Series: GX Drabbles [8]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Confessions, M/M, alcohol-, sort of-
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-05 23:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13398858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauriekits/pseuds/Lauriekits
Summary: "We're not fine.""No. But if anyone asks, lie and tell them we are."





	Black and Red

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK.  
> It's been a solid 2 years, but Kit is back in the writing scene; With Changes!  
> If you read my old stories and then read this, you may be a bit confused. I have decided to switch from dub to original Japanese names! Mainly because characterisation is different between the two versions, and many people prefer sub anyway. I'm a new man.
> 
> Also, it's been years, so sorry if it's really bad.
> 
> Got this prompt from unblockingwritersblock.tumblr.com !

"Maaannjouuume...!"

He entered the dim-lit hotel room, not at all cautious of his surroundings. The brunet wobbled, not even bothering to turn on a light. He crashed down onto the floor, right beside a king-sized bed, where his partner, a spiky-haired Pro Duelist, slumbered.

Well, he wasn't sleeping anymore.

"Ju...dai...?"

No doubt about it, it was Judai. Even though Manjoume had just woken up, his blurred vision could instantly recognise the Osiris Red uniform.

The colour red. How he hated it so much.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, switching on the bedside lamp. He could immediately recognise the red one's stench - a late night tour of the city.

"You've...been drinking again?" Manjoume asked, picking up his glasses off the nearby desk, placing them on.

"Mmmmafbe..." Judai mumbled, face against the ground.

"Ugh, turn around, idiot!" Manjoume quickly kicked his partner, immediately frustrated over this.

Judai slowly shifted himself to see his boyfriend's face, sitting up, legs crossed. "I said maybe...I had a little too much?" head tilted, face flushed from alcohol.

A red face. Manjoume wanted to spit on it.

"Why, Judai? I understand you were with your friends, that's fine. But if you're going to kick coming to my room like this, I'm going to kick you out. You can pay for your own room." Manjoume, of course, was paying for Judai's temporary accommodation out of his own, hidden kindness. The two were in a big city for a dueling tournament. Manjoume was a contestant, Judai was the support. The dropout boy _was_  quite the competitive talent, but he had no interest in trophies or ribbons. Very different from his younger self, but tournaments were not his thing. Judai enjoyed the free life, rather than the business life.

"Dooon't kick me out...," whined the flushed man, shaking his head. "I was just having a good time! Shou and Kenzan took me home,so I'm fiiiine!"

The drunk babblings of the man concerned Manjoume. He drank too, sure. But he'd make sure to never go overboard. Most of the time, anyway.

Manjoume stood up from his bed, covered in button-up kitten pajamas. Judai giggled seeing the clothes, despite seeing them a million times before. Manjoume rolled his eyes as he grabbed a glass of water. He returned to the bed, and gave the glass to Judai, narrowing his eyes.

"Drink."

Judai held onto the glass, raising a brow on it. "I'm not at the hangover stage yet, Juuuun~"

Manjoume flinched at the name, blushing in embarrassment. "D-Don't call me that...!" he pouted. The two males had been dating for quite some time, and the Pro Duelist had always called Judai Yuki by his first name. But Jun Manjoume, a man originating from a high-class society, had always been addressed as Manjoume, Manjoume-san, Manjoume Thunder. And for his boyfriend to call him Jun was just....Embarrassing.

Even if only said in private.

Even if they were so close.

Even if they were in love.

Love. Associated with red. Manjoume wanted to mutter curses at the thought.

_'Disgusting.'_

"Just...do what I say, dropout boy," Manjoume demanded, folding his arms. Judai shrugged and drank the water, cleaning the taste of alcohol away. As the drunk male finished his drunk, he hopped on board the bed, much to Manjoume's protest. "Hey, hey! Get off! I don't want to smell like you!"

"You don't even shower, Jun!" True.

"Hey, I do so! I've matured more now!" Also true.

They began to argue. Well, Manjoume was. Judai was taking it all as a joke. He was drunk, and while it was nice to see a man who became so distant from his friends have a good time, it was obviously booze-driven disguise. After Judai and his friends graduated (well, Judai didn't _exactly graduate_ -let's leave it at that), everyone went their separate ways. Of course they kept in contact, but Judai...became distant. Not _too_ distant, he would get in contact with his best friends from time to time, but he was still...anxious about the past. What he had done.

Everyone had forgiven the ex-Osiris Red, and he eventually accepted forgiveness. But he would still have dreams, dreams of red. Black and red. 

Manjoume cared for Judai and, (although he'd never admit it), loved him. Of course he had also forgiven Judai. None of it was his fault, it was an unwelcome destiny. When they would bump into each other, or even organise to meet somewhere, Manjoume would take care of him. Pay for everything. Even if Judai had spare cash.

Stay over, duel, catch up on life. Say goodbye. Reunite. Stay over. Duel. Catch up. Goodbye. 

An ongoing cycle.

Manjoume understood Judai's way of life, and would always let him go. He'd have his own time for his Pro Dueling career. However, the Thunder, despite his attitude towards the slacker, would fight for him to stay. To stay and live with him, to make sure he's alright. Judai would state that he was fine and be on his way, ready for another journey.

But he was never going to be 100% 'fine'. And neither was Manjoume, who just wanted his boyfriend around for security and comfort.

"Listen, Judai! You can't just drink your problems away! You'll get even dumber, and, what if you go overboard? I won't pay for a hospital treatment, you know!" He would.

"Don't be silly, Jun! I wouldn't be that reckless!" He could.

"You still act like a child sometimes! God, I don't want to follow you around and make sure you're fine when I have work to do!" He should.

Judai whined. Manjoume growled. This was so frustrating...At least the Duel Spirits didn't chime in. 

Eventually Judai settled down. He was getting tired, yawning as he began to change clothes. He kept his black shirt on, but changed into long blue pajama pants with 'HERO' printed on them. 

"Ahem. Shower." Manjoume said, pointing to the bathroom.

"Mmm...in the morning."

"You smell, Judai!"

"What are you, twelve?"

"I-I didn't mean that as an insult, it's fact!"

Judai was gaining his sober personality back, where he was more...an adult. He matured from his Duel Academia days, no thanks to age and trauma. He still retained his peppy personality, the child who loved to duel, with a bit more talk back. After some harmless arguing, Judai eventually got in the shower.

As he came out, dressed in his pajamas like before, he stopped and glanced at Manjoume, who's face was brightened by his mobile phone. Judai began to think about Manjoume and his relationship with his rival. Now that he had more sense, he sighed.

He knows leaving his rival alone hurts him. He knows going out and drinking his sorrows away hurts him. He worries that his presence hurts him more, however. 

Judai's thoughts were interrupted when Manjoume noticed his rival. "Good, you're clean," he said, placing the phone away at the bedside desk. "Come to bed." Judai followed orders and got under the covers, looking at Manjoume with a somewhat....anxious expression. Manjoume lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

The brunet sighed, holding onto the blanket covering him. It was black, like Manjoume's soft hair. Black, like the dark environment of the Monster Dimension. Black, like the dreams and worries Judai constantly had. It was killing him inside. He never wanted to, but the man took a deep breath and began to express his worries.

"Manjoume-"

"-san." The Thunder corrected Judai. Common for the two in their conversations.

"....Do I hurt you, Manjoume...-san?"

Manjoume blinked. What on Earth was this about? "...No? Why are you asking?"

Judai sighed again, looking away from his boyfriend.  "You're angry when I'm around. You're angry when I leave. You're angry when...I do anything. I don't stay around you for long because I fear my presence hurts you. As well as....the fact that Yubel and I are one, and-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Manjoume interrupted, wiping his hand against his face in frustration. "I don't care if Yubel is a part of you. I mean, I do, but it's not a big deal to me anymore! That was years ago! You did what you had to do."

"...Alright, I'll drop that subject. But, what about my own existence? I know you're often moody, it's your nature. Recently, however, you've just been so...pissed. Do you not want me around, at all?"

Manjoume sighed, shaking his head. "Judai, it's not that...," he sighed again, this was difficult to explain for the taller male. "You constantly leave. You don't always text back. You disappeared once for a full year, making us all worry! You...!"

He knows what to say. He really wants to say it, but every time he even considers it, his mind is filled with red. The colour he hates. Why did he have to hate it so much? Why was dating his rival make him so...ill? 

"Judai, listen to me! I don't want you wandering off to nowhere anymore! I want you, to live with me! I....I want you around! I need you around. You bring the light into my already-glistening life. You make it even better. You don't make me angry, you make me....happy....It's just the constant reminder of that! It makes me angry! it makes me angry that you leave all the time, and that I want you to stay! It makes me angry that I have deep feelings for you!"

The brunet listened, focusing on his boyfriend's words. That last line however...."Why...do your feelings for me anger you?"

"...Because." Manjoume closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "You are my rival. Rivals don't date each other. We have to keep this secret, for the sake of my career. I hated you when we first met. I hated the fact that I even liked you. I hated that I had a crush on you. And now that we're dating, I still hate it!"

"M-Manjoume..."

Manjoume had to face it. He truly loved Judai Yuki. His longtime rival. His conflicting views on romance as a teenager confused him, and now he's here, trying to explain his problem.

"I'm hurt because I have no fucking idea on how to say I love you!"

The rivals both blushed, not expecting such strong words from the Thunder. Manjoume immediately looked away, ashamed of his own personal problem. Judai just stared and blinked...he had never heard strong words from his rival before about their relationship. It was often "I hate you" or "You're an idiot", as a disguised confession of deep love for the other.

However...

"You just said it," Judai smiled,placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. Manjoume immediately raised his head, glancing at the tender hand touching him. He looked at Judai, realising that, yes! He had just said that he loves his boyfriend. "That was very brave of you, Manjoume-san." Judai...knew that Manjoume was a difficult man. He's had personal family issues where he just didn't felt loved at all. He originally fell for a girl that had no interest in him. And a male loving another male was quite...difficult in the celebrity world, especially when it's your high-school rival. "I love you too, you know."

Manjoume made a small gasp, of course he knew. Judai loved him dearly, it had been like that for a very long time. Hell, they were dating for a few years now. What was this feeling then? Shock? Comfort? Bit of both? Whatever it was, Manjoume's heart was pounding, which got louder as his rival wrapped his arms from behind.

"Sometimes, I need my space. I need to go out and explore, experience adventure, hoping to help someone in need. But I'll never truly abandon anyone. I won't ever leave my friends and my...boyfriend behind. I'm sorry you felt this way, but I'm really proud of you for being able to speak out. Sorry if I...pushed you in anyway."

Manjoume remained glancing at Judai, sighing once more. "Shut up, dropout boy. You didn't do anything wrong. You know how I am..."

"That I do!" 

And with that, Judai pulled Manjoume back onto the bed, tickling him.

"Wh-Hey! Hey! St-Stop that...!" The Thunder began laughing as he struggled for freedom, resulting in elbowing his beloved in the face.

"Ow...!"

"That's what you get, Judai!"

\----

The two eventually settled down, both under the comfort of the hotel bed blanket. The lamp was now switched off, with Manjoume removing his glasses. They embraced each other in their arms, close as close can be. It was late, somewhere in the AM, and they both needed rest for a big day ahead of them.

"I'm glad," Judai spoke up, speaking soft words. "...Despite our issues with communicating with one another, we can still somehow manage to express ourselves."

"We're both...very different people, Judai," Manjoume added on. "We have our own problems with relationships, but somehow, we still stick together. You're dating a celebrity, and I'm dating a dropout boy."

Although Judai chuckled at the comment, he continued on. "We're not fine," Judai admitted, hugging his beloved boyfriend. It was a sad truth, in their own ways, they were never fine. But together, they felt security and comfort.

"No," agreed Manjoume, placing his hand softly on Judai's face. "But if anyone asks, lie and tell them we are."

 

Judai nodded, nuzzling his face on Manjoume, who pouted and groaned in return.

"I love you, Juuuun~"

"H-No! Don't call me that!"

"Jun-kun! Jun-kun!"

"I will end you!"

"I've got a good grip on you, you can't hurt me!"

"Ugh!"

Eventually, Manjoume realised that red..wasn't a terrible colour. He still had his own issues with it, but if he can talk of love, it's not so bad.

And Judai? He still has negative connections to black...but it was the colour of his boyfriend's hair, similar to his eyes...and it was his boyfriend's colour. Manjoume Thunder wouldn't be Thunder without it. So, instead of trying to connect it to darkness, Judai would remind himself of his beloved.

They truly loved each other, didn't they?


End file.
